Chapter 728: Chapter 393: An Unexpected Death Scene

Jiang An suddenly stood up, swiftly and neatly sealing the suspicious tooth into an evidence bag.

His eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s, swiftly scanning the room before decisively grabbing the iron shovel in the corner.

When he finally stood before that pile of ashes, a terrifying hypothesis began to form in his mind—this was by no means a simple accidental fire.

The ashes exhibited an unnatural distribution, and the quantity clearly exceeded the normal range, coupled with that enigmatic tooth, all clues silently accusing a heinous crime.

"Prepare to seal off the scene."

Jiang An’s voice was low and determined, his knuckles turning pale from gripping the shovel too tightly.

"This is not a fire..."

His gaze swept across every dark corner of the room like a spotlight, finally settling on the pile of ashes, "This is a meticulously planned murder case."

Jiang An tightly gripped the iron shovel with both hands, precisely and forcefully uncovering layers of ashes.

As he moved, grayish-black dust spread in the air, forming an eerie cloud in the sunlight.

The pile of ashes, originally heaped like a small hill, was quickly cleared away, revealing a horrifying find—a burned, unrecognizable skull and incomplete skeletal remains. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Jiang An crouched down, professionally and quickly examining the exposed bones.

Years of criminal investigation experience led him to an immediate judgment: these were the remains of a minor no older than eighteen.

When the skull and other bones were fully exposed to everyone’s view, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Even for these seasoned detectives, the sight before them was too shocking to behold.

Seeing this, Mr. Chen’s face turned ashen white instantly.

As the chief of the district police station, he not only had to endure the impact of the case itself but also face the enormous pressure that followed.

A minor’s death case was already extremely sensitive, and this, disguised as a fire, confirmed the killing of two individuals.

Mr. Chen’s tightly clenched fist trembled slightly, his gaze involuntarily turning to the door, hoping for good news from the external investigation team—finding the missing child’s mother and another child.

If...

Mr. Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, swallowing hard, not daring to think further.

If that mother and child were still alive, the case might still be manageable.

But if their bodies were also hidden beneath these ashes...

This thought sent a wave of dizziness through Mr. Chen, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Of everyone, he knew best that it would turn into a case that would shock the nation, with unthinkable consequences.

The officers on the scene tacitly maintained silence, only the sounds of camera shutters and the rustling of evidence bags broke the stillness.

The air was filled with an extremely oppressive atmosphere, as if an invisible weight pressed on everyone, making it hard to breathe.

Jiang An stood steadily at the scene, his gaze as piercing as ever as he surveyed the scattered white bones before him.

The acrid smell of char mingled with the scent of dust in the air, but he was unmoved, focused solely on observing every detail.

He slowly crouched, gently brushing aside the ashes covering the bones.

"Zhang Yean," his voice was low and steady as he handed the shovel to the assistant beside him, "begin taking comprehensive photographs immediately to document the original state of the scene completely."

He paused, his gaze lingering on several peculiar bone fragments, "Focus on capturing the distribution, position, and layering of all coverings of the bones."

"Pay special attention to those subtle traces that might be overlooked—like scratches on bone surfaces, fracture shapes, and even foreign objects buried in the ashes."

As Jiang An spoke, Zhang Yean immediately sprang into action, skillfully setting up the professional camera and adjusting the lighting equipment.

With the continuous sound of the shutter, the blinding flash incessantly illuminated the dim scene, freezing every crucial detail into images.

He sometimes crouched low to the ground, sometimes stood on tiptoe, seeking the best angle to ensure no potential clue was missed.

Once the preliminary evidence gathering was completed, Jiang An donned latex gloves and deftly picked up a piece of skull.

Typically, a forensic expert would need to conduct a systematic autopsy to determine skeletal information, but the situation before them was evidently different—these bones had been burned extraordinarily clean, with no muscle or skin remnants, presenting an eerie whiteness.

"Judging by the morphological characteristics of the pubic symphysis,"

Jiang An lifted the pelvis, carefully observing it under the light, "the deceased appears to be female, approximately 12 years old."

His voice remained steady, though his speech noticeably slowed, seemingly to repeatedly confirm his judgment.

Having finished, he turned to the pale-faced Mr. Chen standing beside him: "Is there a girl in this family’s members who fits this age description?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen shuddered, his forehead beaded with sweat.

He swallowed, his voice trembling slightly, "Yes, yes... this family indeed has a 12-year-old daughter named Li Huan... and also a 7-year-old daughter, Li Yan..."

As he spoke the latter part, his voice nearly faded to a whisper.

Jiang An’s eyes suddenly sharpened, his fingers holding the bone involuntarily tightened.

Two bodies had been found at the scene... this thought flashed through his mind, causing his heartbeat to quicken uncontrollably.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to stay calm, and turned his eyes toward the other room at the end of the corridor: "Zhang Yean, has the next-door bedroom been examined?"